Bobby Flay is no stranger to making headlines.
From dating a former co-star (we didn’t see this one coming) to announcing plans to bring his life story to Broadway (we really didn’t see this one coming), the culinary icon keeps us on our toes. And while the celebrity chef is best known for his Food Network hits like Beat Bobby Flay and Iron Chef America, some of his cooking takes are a bit… suspect.
In an Instagram post earlier this week, Flay answered some of his fans’ burning questions, among them, whether he washes his chicken. The topic is a common battleground, with many people arguing on both sides of the coin. However, washing your chicken with water is a big no-no if you care about food safety.
As Food Director Robert Seixas puts it, “Yes, water is effective at cleaning, but cleaning is NOT the same as disinfecting. Water also happens to be quite skilled at dispersing ghastly, merciless things undetected by human eyes.”
Washing chicken before cooking it is a good way to contaminate your kitchen with Salmonella, so you’ll never find Delish staff making this kitchen faux pas.
Flay, however, shared that he does, in fact, wash his chicken. He shared this after mentioning that he doesn’t wash his rice, though. Naturally, people on social media were quick to chime in with their thoughts on the matter.
“Rinsing the rice: NECESSARY. Cleaning the chicken: UNNECESSARY,” wrote one person. “Washing chicken? Enjoy the salmonella splatter all over the kitchen,” commented another.
Still, another wrote, “Washing his chicken but not his rice proves we shouldn’t take his opinions seriously.”
But not everyone was a hater of his methods. A handful agreed with the controversial answer. “People who don’t wash their chicken are the same ones who don’t wash their legs in the shower,” one person commented, with another saying, “A fellow chicken washer 😍👏🏽.”
So, where do you stand in the chicken-washing debate?
